Author: Shaun Wakefield

Celebrate National Houseplant Week: 13-19 January 2025

Introduction to the National Houseplant Week As we step into the New Year, there’s an event that plant lovers and interior design enthusiasts won’t want to miss. National Houseplant Week, running from 13th to 19th January 2025, provides a charming occasion to celebrate the allure and advantages of indoor greenery. This week is all about […]
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Out with the Christmas Tree, In with the House Plant

Saying Goodbye to Festive Spirit Taking down festive decorations, especially the Christmas tree, can leave your home feeling unexpectedly empty. The vibrant lights and ornaments that once filled your living room now leave behind a sense of void. However, instead of succumbing to a dull atmosphere, why not seize the opportunity to breathe new life […]
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Winter Gardening: Common Errors and How to Dodge Them

Neglecting Wildlife. A flourishing garden is a refuge for numerous creatures, and winter is a time when this support is particularly vital. Birds, hedgehogs, and insects all face harsher conditions during the colder months, making it crucial for gardeners to offer a helping hand. One error many gardeners commit is failing to provide for these […]
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Winter-Ready Greenhouse: Top Autumn Jobs for Gardeners

As the days grow shorter and the air becomes crisp, it’s time for gardeners to prepare their greenhouses for the winter ahead. A well-maintained greenhouse can be a sanctuary for your plants during the colder months, ensuring a bountiful harvest even when the weather outside is less than inviting. Get ready with these autumn greenhouse […]
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Autumn Pond Care: Planning for the Colder Months

As summer draws to a close and the days become shorter and cooler, pond keepers need to focus on pond care in September and October. These months provide an excellent opportunity to prepare your pond for the colder months ahead, ensuring that both the aquatic life and the ecosystem remain healthy. By taking the necessary […]
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Get Your Vegetable Garden Thriving in May

If you’re a keen gardener, May is a month full of potential for your vegetable garden. With the warmer weather and longer days, now is the perfect time to get your hands dirty and start planting your favourite vegetables. In this guide, we will provide you with all the information you need to get your […]
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Garden Wildlife: Preparing Your To-Do List

It’s an exciting time for garden enthusiasts and wildlife watchers alike. This transitional period is crucial for the preparation of your garden to welcome a diverse array of garden wildlife. From the tiniest insects to the more visible garden birds and elusive mammals like hedgehogs, ensuring your garden is a welcoming habitat can make a […]
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Get Ahead in Your Garden: February Allotment Tasks

As February unfolds, with its unpredictable showers and occasional frosts, the keen gardener’s thoughts turn inevitably to the coming growing season. It’s the perfect time to start preparing your vegetable patch, ensuring that the ground and your plans are ready to facilitate a bountiful harvest. February may still seem to be in the grip of […]
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Perfect Timing: What to Plant in February

February may be one of the coldest months, but it’s also a time filled with gardening promise. As the days slowly start to lengthen and the first signs of spring emerge, it’s the perfect time to start planning and planting certain seeds, bulbs, and plants. The ground may still be hard, and frost is often […]
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Father and daughter looking at the bee hotels they have just made

Get Busy Making a Bee Hotel This December!

With December just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about ways to support and protect our important pollinators. One great way to do so is by making a bee hotel! Not only is this a fun and creative gardening project, but it also provides a safe and cosy home for bees during the […]
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Simple tips for preparing your plants for Winter

Mulch to keep soil insulated One effective way to keep your soil insulated during the winter is by using mulch. Adding a layer of organic mulch, such as wood chips or straw, helps to regulate the soil temperature and retain moisture. Mulch acts as a protective barrier against the cold, preventing the soil from freezing […]
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Winter-proof your borders

Winter-proof your borders: Simple tips for preparing your plants Intro As winter approaches, it’s time to make sure your garden borders are ready to withstand the cold weather. By taking some simple steps, you can help protect your plants from frost and snow. In this blog post, we’ll share some easy tips on how to […]
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Warm Colours for the Coolest Season

Autumn is a beautiful time of year, when the leaves change colour and the temperatures drop. To bring warmth and life to your garden during this cooler season, consider adding some golden hues! From bold shades of yellow to golden-browns, a golden garden is a great way to welcome the changing seasons. From beautiful blooms […]
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Sensory Gardens – A Celebration Of

Sensory exploration is an important part of development for every child but it’s also beneficial for adults. Creating a sensory garden is a brilliant way to allow every member of your family, no matter what their age, to experience an enriching walk around the garden. The idea of a sensory garden is to create a […]
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Get planting – Young Wildlife Heroes

Now is a great time for young gardeners to get out into the garden and plant some seeds or baby plants. If you love wildlife as much as us, you can choose cleverly and plant a feast for the butterflies and bees with lovely nectar-rich flowers that will actually attract more awesome minibeasts into your […]
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David Austin Roses – A Fledgling Garden

We recently hosted a wonderful pair of evenings with David Austin Roses expert, Andrew Rollings. He captivated the audiences at our Canterbury and Tenterden centres with a most fascinating talk about how the roses have been specially crafted over the past 60 years. David Austin Roses say, “As an age-old symbol of beauty, celebration and […]
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Wild Garlic – A Celebration of

One of my favourite memories of the recent past is foraging for wild garlic on a family walk and returning to make chapatis on an open fire. Chopping up the wild garlic and mixing it into the dough then adding a curl of butter at the end made for a melt in the mouth treat […]
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Hedgehogs – Young Wildlife Heroes

We all love hedgehogs and watching them visit your garden is magical. There is a lot of concern that numbers of hedgehogs are declining but there are many ways that you can help our prickly friends throughout the seasons.  In late summer and autumn, hedgehogs are trying to build up their stores of fat ready […]
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Companion Planting – A Fledgling Gardener

  As I’ve delved deeper into the green-fingered world, I have stumbled upon an idea that intrigues me greatly; the idea that you could choose to grow some plants next to each other and it would mutually benefit them. It could help prevent disease, aid pollination, and keep pest numbers down in the garden. It […]
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Pressed Flowers – A celebration of…

Queen Victoria used to press flowers from important events – what a clever way to preserve a happy memory. I bet flicking through her scrap book would evoke all the colours and sounds of those special days and take her back there immediately to revel in the memory. I had a go at pressing a […]
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Bug Hotels – Young Wildlife Heroes

Gardens are brilliant for children. Most grown-ups are more than happy for you to get outside, so pull on your wellies and get out there. Here is a fun idea to inspire you to discover, learn and feel connected to our awesome planet! One of the easiest things to do (and most satisfying) is to […]
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Pots of Colour – A Fledgling Gardener

There is a certain beauty to winter, but it can feel a bit monochrome at times. I love it when springtime comes and the splashes of colour shoot through the hard soil, signalling the end of the darker, chillier nights. It fills me with hope and joy to see the sunshine daffs, majestic crocuses and […]
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